Angela Brose from Queensland and her grandpa Keith from Victoria sit down and check their blood glucose levels together at family catch ups. Angela, 28, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes two months before her 25th birthday. Her grandpa, 90, was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes when he was 88. Both Angela and her grandpa are exceptionally fit.

Keith swims 1 km everyday. Angela plays competitive netball twice a week and trains four times a week. She is in the Queensland Mixed Netball team, plays in the South East Queensland Challenge Cup and also plays indoor superleague.

Both type 1 and type 2 diabetes run in the family.

“There has been a type one diagnosis in every generation of my family right back to my great-grandma. From an early age, I learnt about type 1 symptoms and had a basic understanding of what it was all about,†said Angela.

“I remember visiting my uncle down in Victoria as a kid and watching him before every meal prick his finger and give himself a needle. There was even one night he went around the table and checked everyone’s levels – funnily enough I was the only one that wouldn’t let him do it!â€

Just shy of turning 25, Angela woke up one morning with an incredible thirst that she couldn’t seem to quench, and started noticing a significant increase in the amount of trips to the toilet she needed to make (at least 20 times a day). Her vision also started to blur, which proved difficult when trying to read the netball scoreboard.

After googling the symptoms for type 1 diabetes and ticking every one of them off, she went straight to the GP.

“Growing up with diabetes in the family was good in the sense that I was able to identify the symptoms early on. I’ve always played a lot of sport and am switched on to what’s happening with my body!†said Angela.

Angela can read the scoreboard again and is dedicated more than ever to playing netball. In the last four years, Angela has ticked a major item off her bucket list: playing for Queensland. For Angela, netball is an incentive to manage her diabetes well because she needs to be in the best shape she can.

This month, Angela will compete in the Australian Men’s and Mixed Netball Championships in Melbourne. When it comes to diabetes management, tournaments are a different ball game.

“You play two or three games in a day and it can get really tricky. Adrenaline pushes your levels up and when you finally get them down, it’s time to play again†said Angela.

With the help of her diabetes educator, Angela has worked out a plan on how to manage tournaments.

“It took a lot of trial and adjustment but with the help of my educator, I think I’ve got it down to a fine art!â€

The next item to tick off the bucket list is to represent her country and play for Australia.

Angela studied architecture at University and works for a builder. The photo above is of Angela holding a trophy after Angela and her colleague received the Housing Industry Association’s 2014 Custom Built Home of the Year ($1-2 million) award. As well as being part of an award-wining design team, Angela has also started her own business specializing in custom designed residential architecture.

Her colleagues are well aware of what diabetes is and how to treat a hypo. If you have diabetes, Angela says it’s really important to make sure the people you work with all the time know what to do and don’t freak out. This also includes people you play sport with and coaches.

“With new coaches, I tell them what to do and what to look out for, so they can call time,†said Angela.

“Unfortunately, you can be the most well managed diabetic but levels can still get out of whack.â€

As an architect, Angela works with a lot of people, she often finds it easier to treat her hypo quickly rather than tell clients.

“Sometimes if a meeting goes for 2-3 hours, I’ll notice my hands are shaking and heart rate has picked up. I just say I need to go to the bathroom then grab my meter and mini soft drink can,†said Angela.

“They fit nicely in my handbag; I just need to make sure it doesn’t fizz! It’s a quick fix and I’m back in the meeting and they’re none the wiser!â€

As a final tip, Angela encourages people with type 1 diabetes to always be prepared! As well as carrying around a mini soft drink in her handbag, Angela has spare needles, insulin pens and lollies at her desk.

If diabetes also runs in your family, make sure you talk to your GP and know the symptoms and signs. Common symptoms for type 1 and type 2 diabetes include:

• Being more thirsty than usual
• Passing more urine
• Feeling tired or lethargic
• Always feeling hungry
• Having cuts that heal slowly
• Itching, skin infections
• Blurred vision
• Unexplained weight loss (type 1)
• Gradually putting on weight (type 2)
• Mood swings
• Headaches
• Feeling dizzy
• Leg cramps

For more information on signs and symptoms, visit our ‘What is Diabetes‘ page.